Tham Pla - Namtok Pha Suea National Park Park

Address: Tham Pla - Namtok Pha Suea National Park, Mae Hong Son Province, northern Thailand

Website: https://www.dnp.go.th

Hours: Daily 8:00am-4:30pm (typical for many Thai national parks)

Admission: Foreign adults approximately 200 THB; Thai nationals discounted (around 20-40 THB) - fees subject to change

Two of the Mae Hong Son area’s best-loved attractions - the Fish Cave (Tham Pla) and the Pha Sua Waterfall - were combined into a single national park covering nearly 500 square kilometers of mountainous terrain. Both are usually visited on a day trip from Mae Hong Son.

Tham Pla is a sacred cavern with a river running through it that is home to hundreds of huge soro brook carp. The locals consider the fish sacred and never catch them, so some grow up to three feet long. Vendors at the entrance sell little bags of fruit and vegetables to feed them, and a path leads over a suspension bridge to a viewing hole in the rock where the fish can be watched. A statue of the Hindu deity Nara, said to protect the holy fish, stands at the cave entrance. The grounds are pastoral and relaxing, with picnic areas and snack stalls.

To reach the Pha Sua Waterfall, turn off the main road toward Mae Aw for about 30 minutes. The falls have six tiers, though most visitors view only the bottom level. At around 10 meters high it is modest, but in the rainy season it spreads into a wide curtain of water.

Typically reached by road from Mae Hong Son or Chiang Mai; private vehicle or guided day tours are common. The park is a few tens of kilometers from Mae Hong Son town - check local maps for exact directions.

• Visit early morning to see the fish in Tham Pla before the midday heat and crowds.
• Combine Tham Pla (the fish cave) with the short waterfalls trail at Namtok Pha Suea for a fuller day in the park.
• Wear good shoes - some paths and steps near the cave and waterfall are steep and slippery when wet.